BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION
Just Like We Learn From Our Experiences — Animals Can Learn Too!
What is Animal Behavior Modification?
Animal behavior modification is a way to change how animals act or respond to certain situations. Just like we learn from our experiences, animals can learn too! This process helps trainers and pet owners teach animals new behaviors or change unwanted ones.
Training predatory animals and prey animals involves different approaches due to their distinct instincts and behaviors. Let’s break down some key differences —
Predatory Animals
Predatory Animals
Predatory Animals
Predatory animals like dogs, cats, hawks, and other carnivorous animals are often motivated by hunting instincts, can focus intensely, and may need management of aggression. Training can be engaging and involves play and operant conditioning using a balanced approach can be very beneficial for predatory animals.
Training Considerations
Motivation — Predators are often driven by hunting instincts. Using toys that mimic prey or food rewards can tap into their natural behaviors, making training more engaging.
Focus — Predatory animals tend to have a high level of focus and can become very single-minded when pursuing a target. Training can involve redirecting this focus onto desired behaviors, like using a toy for retrieval.
Reactivity Management — Because they are natural hunters, trainers may need to address reactive tendencies. This could involve teaching control commands or redirecting their energy to prevent unwanted behaviors.
Playfulness — Many predatory animals are playful, which can be leveraged in training. Incorporating games and interactive play can enhance learning and reinforce good behavior.
Prey Animals
Prey Animals
Prey Animals
Prey animals, such as horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, or certain birds, require a focus on trust and safety, a calm training environment, and gradual exposure to new experiences. Training is often more patient and methodical and heavily based in positive training methods.
Training Considerations
Flight Response — Prey animals have a strong instinct to flee from danger. Training must prioritize building trust and a sense of security. Gradual exposure to new experiences helps prevent stress or fear.
Calm Environment — Training sessions should be calm and controlled, minimizing loud noises or sudden movements that could startle the animal. Positive reinforcement works well here, as it encourages them to feel safe and confident.
Social Dynamics — Prey animals often live in herds and have complex social structures. Understanding their social behavior can help trainers create a supportive environment. Training can include other animals to encourage social learning.
Slow Progression — Training for prey animals typically requires more patience and gradual progression. Breaking tasks into smaller steps can help build their confidence and reduce anxiety.
How Does Behavior Conditioning Work?
Now, let’s talk about operant conditioning, which is one of the main techniques used in behavior modification. It’s a method that uses rewards and consequences to influence an animal’s behavior. Follow along below to understand more about how it works.
Behavior conditioning techniques
We have to remember that animals AND humans learn with consequence and reward. Since we don’t have the ability to speak to our pets with language, we have to communicate through body language, rewards and consequences. The goal is to teach our pets a language that both you and they will understand, leading to a healthier relationship and a happier life together.
Behavior
Behavior conditioning is a fundamental concept in understanding and modifying animal behavior. It includes anything an animal does. For example, when a dog sits on command. Behavior can be shaped over time, leading to improved communication and stronger bonds between humans and animals.
Punishment
“Punishment” sounds harsh, but we would never do anything to harm the relationship between you and your pet. In B.F. Skinner terms, punishment is the term used to define “an action to discourage a behavior”. Like reinforcement, there are two types:
Positive Punishment — adds something unpleasant after a behavior. For example, if a cat scratches the furniture and you spray it with water, it might stop scratching.
Negative Punishment — involves taking away something the animal enjoys. For example, if a dog barks and you leave the room, the dog learns that barking leads to losing your company.
Reinforcement
This is something that encourages the animal to repeat the behavior. There are two types:
Positive Reinforcement — adding something the animal likes after a behavior. For instance, if the dog sits, you give it a treat.
Negative Reinforcement — removing something unpleasant when the behavior occurs. For example, if a horse stops pulling back when it feels pressure on its halter, and the pressure is released, it learns to stop pulling.
Why is this important?
There are pros and cons between these types of methods. For prey animals, consequences should only be used for situations where the animal could harm you or another animal. For instance, if a horse charges their owner because they are food aggressive, this is very dangerous and only using positive reinforcement will not save you from harm. In a herd, the lead mare would bite or kick an unruly horse. In the same regard, it doesn’t make sense to punish a horse for making the wrong choice when teaching them a new behavior, they are flighty and need time to understand what we are asking them to do.
For animals who are highly anxious, they might not be motivated by food or rewards. Gently coaxing a pet by removing a consequence may be a more successful approach than trying to focus only on positive reinforcement. Food rewards for a reactive dog can be a great tool, but it is important to take care as the timing of the reward could be interpreted as a reinforcement to a negative behavior, risking potentially making reactivity worse.
Ultimately, our methods are put simply as “Artgerech”, a german term meaning “appropriate to the species.” You’ll find trainers who focus on just one method because that’s what’s worked for them, or it’s the method they’ve learned or prefer. We want to empower intrinsic motivation with your pet. The methods listed above are scientific approaches to communication and behavior modification, but we want your pet to be driven to do something because it’s enjoyable or interesting to them. Rewards and Pressure are substitutes for language between species, but to truly form a bond of trust using communication, intrinsic motivation is the key and is our core training philosophy.